Offering a rare insight to the book submission process and what editors and agents really want to see, New York-based literary agent John Talbot shares how-to tips for writers about crafting an effective proposal for a cozy mystery series.
Talbot, a partner in the Talbot Fortune Agency, has represented several nationally best-selling authors, including Coffeehouse Mystery bestseller Cleo Coyle. A former editor, Talbot has more than 25 years experience in publishing. His clients include several New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.
According to Talbot, the cozy mystery is a subgenre of the mystery/crime category. The typical cozy is a character-focused mystery with a strong premise that takes place in a relatively confined location. Readers follow an amateur sleuth, along with his or her helpful friends or associates, as he or she progresses through the story, picking-up clues to solve the crime.
Because cozy mysteries have a large and loyal readership - often ready to try new books by heretofore unknown authors - writing within the cozy genre can be a great starting-point for first-time mystery writers.
One Cozy Mystery May Not Be Enough…
If you are a first-time cozy writer and you have an understanding of the genre, a solid idea, a start on some text, and you feel ready to submit work to an agent or editor in hopes of a book sale…Now what?
First of all, one book idea may not be enough, says Talbot.
“Although a cozy may be a stand-alone book, publishers definitely prefer cozies in a series format, with a continuing cast of characters,” says Talbot. “As an agent, I always recommend a first-time author prepare a cozy proposal with a synopses for three novels in a series, not just one book. At the very least, adding a two more books to the proposal provides extra plots and titles for the editor to think about,” Talbot says.
Book Proposal Includes Cover Letter, Overview, Titles, Synopses, Chapters
He continues, “All you need in the proposal is a cover letter that explains who you are, your credentials as a writer - including publications and any web, blog or social media presence related to your proposed books - membership in relevant writers’ organizations, such as Sisters in Crime, and your connection to the subject matter. Also, you'll need to include a brief series overview along with some comparable titles (including publisher and publication dates), as well as titles and half-page synopses for books one, two and three. In addition, for the first book, an editor will want to see one to three sample chapters, starting from page one and going until you have a body, the first complication, or another natural stopping point,” he explains.
“If you're worried about deadline issues after a sale, go for 30 pages total of sample narrative and then keep going on your own rather than stopping to wait during the submission process. That way you'll be a tenth or more of the way through the book already,” Talbot adds.
Submission Review Takes Weeks to Months
Once a proposal is submitted to an editor, the submission process can take from two weeks to about three months; the average may be six to eight weeks. “But it depends on the editor’s workload, what’s going on in a particular company at that time (sales conference for example), and some other factors that we can’t really control from our side,” says Talbot.
If a book is accepted, time from offer to signature copies of the contract can be six to eight weeks. Then within another two or three weeks, an author should expect to receive first payment, also known as the signing payment.
“Writing-wise, you'll want to be able to complete each of these books in a year or less. Six to nine months is optimal, but you'll probably need some experience before you can do that,” advises Talbot. “On the other hand, some people can really get into a tight rhythm and produce three, four or even more novels per year.”
Ditto for the next books, he adds. Publishers usually want authors on a regular schedule, probably nine months per book, starting from the previous book's due date.
Two Methods of Mystery Writing for Deadlines
“There are two completely opposing schools of thought on writing methods. One school is the Stephen King school that says write with no outline, don't show anyone, and lock yourself in a room for six weeks for the first draft,” Talbot says.
“The other, and I've seen this used more by professionals and genre writers, is to figure out everything that's going to happen and don't start writing till you have a fairly serious outline.
“Many people are probably somewhere in between – you write these half-page synopses, then plunge into the book, making necessary changes on the fly. My personal guess is that a good outline is important, and it gets that hard ‘writers block’ stuff out of the way early,” he says.
Talbot adds, “If the first three books succeed, the publisher may re-up for the same number of books, and you’ll be up and running!”
Claire Eddins - Writer/editor, award-winning photographer Claire Eddins collects gems, horses, and obsesses over home, art, and design.
